WO2012052714A1

WO2012052714A1 - Mattress cell valves

Info

Publication number: WO2012052714A1
Application number: PCT/GB2011/001500
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Toms; Ian Malcolm Ryall; Brian Frank Pile
Original assignee: Psp Technology Limited
Priority date: 2010-10-21
Filing date: 2011-10-19
Publication date: 2012-04-26
Also published as: GB201017830D0

Abstract

A mattress has a cover (1) with a top sheet (2), a bottom sheet and a peripheral web (3) between the two sheets. The web is largely covered I connected at the top sheet / peripheral web seam (5). The band covers a sliding clasp fastener (6) in the web (3), which is openable for access to the mattress cells inside. The band also covers a flap (7) with its own sliding clasp fastener (8) for an opening giving access to controls (9) for head end cells (10). There are four transverse, head cells (101,102,103,104), whose state of inflation is controlled by controls (91,92,93,94) for valves (111,112,113,114). Each valve has four ports, one for connection to constant pressure air, another to cycling pressure air, a third to exhaust/ambient and a fourth to its cell.

Description

MATTRESS CELL VALVES

The present invention relates to a pneumatic mattress with valves for a head group of cells.

A pneumatic mattress is a mattress having a plurality of pneumatic cells which are so connected that sets of them can be selectively and cyclically pressurised and exhausted-or inflated and deflated-in sequence to support a user, normally a patient liable to suffer or actually suffering from pressure sores. Cycling the mattress simulates movement that a patient would make if fit and healthy so as to avoid supporting his/her weight in the same place all the time. Pneumatic mattress design suffers from a dichotomy that separate independent cells held together only by an outer cover make for simplicity and cheapness, whereas integrally fabricated and smaller cells provide support in such a way that portions of the patienfs anatomy are not liable to slip between two pressurised cells when an intervening one is deflated.

Pneumatic mattresses are usually pressurised with air drawn from the ambient atmosphere. However, the term is not intended to preclude use of any other inflation gas.

It is known to provide pneumatic mattresses with upper and lower layers of cells.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved valve arrangement for head cells of a pneumatic mattress.

According to the invention there is provided a pneumatic mattress comprising: • a plurality of cells, including:

• a group of head cells extending transversely of the mattress; · a mattress cover enclosing the cells, the mattress having:

• a top sheet,

• a bottom sheet and

• a peripheral web between the sheets, • an array of valves for selecting the inflationary state of the transverse head cells;

• the valves and controls therefor being arrayed transversely of the

mattress at its head end; and

• an opening in the web at a transverse head end portion thereof for

providing access to the controls for the head end cell valves.

Normally the opening will be closable, typically with a flap closed by means of a sliding clasp fastener.

Conveniently the valves are rotary valves, with the controls being rotary knobs for them. In the preferred embodiment the valves and their knobs are supported on a plate having a peripheral inflatable bag, which when inflated cushions hard edges of the plate. A second plate is provided, the inflatable bag being sandwiched centrally between the plates. An edge tongue of a display of the functions of the valves in their states is also preferably sandwiched between the plates. The display can be folded at the edge tongue to cover the controls when the flap in the cover is closed.

The inflatable bag can have apertured ears with which it and the controls be attached by toggles to selected head cells of the mattress.

In the preferred embodiment, the valves are positioned at the level of lower, longitudinal, head end cells, across the ends of certain of them pneumatically connected to top-layer, transverse, head cells. The inflatable bag is so arranged that associated with the valve plate does not impede full collapse of the top-layer, transverse, head cells.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an external perspective view of the a mattress of the invention, showing its cover; Figure 2 is a similar view in more d etail of the head end only of the mattress of Figure 1, with the cover removed;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view through a valve array of the invention in Figure 2, the section being on the line 1II-III in Figure 4;

Figure 4 is an end view of the valv e array;

Figure 5 is an exploded view of a control valve for the mattress of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an opposite side view of the dial of the control valve of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of the control valve in the "ddated'position;

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the control valve in the "cycling" position; and

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the control valve in the'inflated' position.

Referring first to Figure 1, a mattress of the invention has a cover 1 comprised of a top sheet 2, a bottom sheet (not visible) and a peripheral web 3 between the two sheets. Much of the web is obscured in Figure 1 by a surrounding band 4 of the same waterproof material as the rest of the cover, the band being connected at the top sheet / peripheral web seam 5. The band covers a sliding clasp fastener 6 in the web 3, which is openable for access to the mattress cells inside. The band also covers a flap 7 with its own sliding clasp fastener 8 for an opening giving access to controls 9 for head end cells 10.

The controls and their cells can be seen in more detail in the other Figures. There are four transverse, head cells 101,102,103,104, whose state of inflation is controlled by controls 91,92,93,94 for valves, generically number 11 and individually numbered 111 , 1 12, 113, 1 14. Each valve has four ports, one for connection to constant pressure air, another to cycling pressure air, a third to exhaust/ambient and a fourth to its cell. The valves are described in more detail below.

The valves 11 and their controls 9 are arrayed along and mounted inside and outside a pair of stiff plates 12, 14. Bodies 1101 of the valves 11 extend through the plates and indeed through a pair of rectangular envelopes 15, 16 of the same material as the cells. The envelopes are:

• sandwiched centrally by the plates; • sealed at central apertures 17, through which the valves extend;

• connected at ports 18 to constant pressure air; and

• when inflated protect the edges of the plates and provide recesses 19 for the

controls and the valves.

A spacer plate 20 is provided centrally of the envelopes, occupying their apertures 17. The spacer plate itself is sandwiched between the plates 12, 14. (The spacer plate is shown of exaggerated thickness in Figure 3, being in practice slightly thinner than the plates 12,14.) The sandwich plates are held in their initial position by a pair of screws 201.

Beneath the transverse head cells 10, eight longitudinal cells 21 are provided. These are permanently inflated in use via ports 22 and interconnecting tubing 23. The upper and lower cells are physically inter-connected by toggles as described in our international Patent Application No WO 2010/058158. The envelopes 15,16 have apertured ears 24 at their comers. Upper ones of these are connected by toggles 25 to margins 26 extending from the endmost 101 of the upper cells. Lower ears are connected also by toggles 25 to loops 27 extending around the closest of the interconnecting tubes 23. Also sandwiched inside the outer plate 12 is an apertured tongue 28 of a display flap 29. This bears representations of which knob and valve is associated with which transverse head cell and the respective inflationary state of the cells in the different states of the valves.

The valve bodies 1101 are essentially disc shaped, with a rim 1 102 for abutting the front plate 12. As shown in Figure 5, at its rim 1102, each body has a front face 1 103 having opening into it:

• a central bore 1104 for a bolt 1105 acting as a pivot for a control dial 1 106, embodying the controls 9,

• three, upper sockets 1107 for detent pins 1 108 and detent springs 1 109,

• a three lower sockets 1110 for a limit pin 111 1 ,

• four port bores generically numbered 1 112 extending into port tubes 1113 to which supply and delivery lines (not shown) are connected.

The valve bodies are secured to the front plate 12 by screws 11 14 abutting against the rear plate 14. The screws engage in non-shown bores that do not penetrate the front face 1 103. Tightening of the screws 11 14 holds the entire sandwich and valve assembly together.

The valve dial 1106 has a release button 1115 in a bore 1 116, depression of which moves whichever of the detent pins 1 108 presently extending into the bore 1116 out of it so that the dial can be turned to allow a different detent pin to engage in the bore, in accordance with the selected rotary position of the dial. The possible angular movement of the dial is limited by the limit pin placed in a selected one of the sockets 1110, the rear face 1117 of the dial being provided with an arcuate slot 1118 into which the pin extends. Placing of the pin in the middle socket 1 110 allows choice of three operative positions of the dial. Placing it in either of the other sockets allows to two only of the positions to be chosen.

The rear face 1 1 17 also has a central groove 1 119 with extensions 1120 for inter-connecting selected port bores 1112. For use, a smear of grease on the faces 1103, 1117 seals them. In use, turning of the dial to align the release button with:

• the deflated decal 1121 causes the port bore 11121 connected to the controlled cell to be connected to the exhaust port bore 1 1 122;

• the cycling decal 1122 causes the port bore 11121 to be connected to the cycled pressure port bore 1 1123;

• the constantly inflated decal 1123 causes the port bore 11 121 to be connected to the constant pressure port bore 1 1 124.

In normal use, the valves are set to provide cycled air pressure to the head cells, the display flap is folded up, as is the cover flap 7, which is closed by its fastener. The array of valves 1 1, their plates 12,14 and their protective envelopes 15,16 are inside the mattress cover close to the head-board of the bed on which the mattress is. Indeed, on the one hand, this arrangement renders adjustment of the valves difficult without removal of the head board. On the other hand, the arrangement protects the valves and their knobs in particular from damage as from collision with a bed side table or the bed side rails. Both of which may also obstruct access to the valves in normal use. Adjustment of the valves is normally required in conjunction with some procedure involving the patienf s head. For this it is likely that the head-board will have been removed, to allow nursing staff access to the patients head. In this condition of the bed, access to the valves is easy. Arrangement of them across the head of the mattress is of no practical disadvantage in the majority of situations.

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above described embodiment. For instance, the longitudinal cells with the valve array at their ends can be slightly shorter than their neighbours to avoid the valve array protruding.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A pneumatic mattress comprising:

• a plurality of cells, including:

• a group of head cells extending transversely of the mattress;

· a mattress cover enclosing the cells, the mattress having:

• a top sheet,

• a bottom sheet and

• a peripheral web between the sheets,

• an array of valves for selecting the inflationary state of the transverse head cells;

• the valves and controls therefor being arrayed transversely of the mattress at its head end; and

• an opening in the web at a transverse head end portion thereof for providing access to the controls for the head end cell valves.

2. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening is closable.

3. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opening is closable by means of a sliding clasp fastener.

4. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the valves are rotary valves, with the controls being rotary knobs for them.

5. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 4, wherein the valves and their knobs are supported on a plate having a peripheral inflatable bag, which when inflated cushions hard edges of the plate.

6. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 5, wherein a second plate is provided, the inflatable bag being sandwiched centrally between the plates.

7. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 6, wherein an edge tongue of a display of the functions of the valves in their states is also sandwiched between the plates.

8. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 7, wherein the display is adapted to be folded at the edge tongue to cover the controls when the flap in the cover is closed.

9. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the inflatable bag has apertured ears with which it and the controls can be attached by toggles to selected head cells of the mattress.

10. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the valves are positioned at the level of lower, longitudinal, head end cells, across the ends of certain of them pneumatically connected to top-layer, transverse, head cells.

11. A pneumatic mattress as claimed in claim 10 as appendant to claim 5, wherein in the event of the end most transverse cell being deflated, the inflatable bag is so arranged that associated with the valve plate does not impede full collapse of the top- layer, transverse, head cells.